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- Title
Explaining the female black-white obesity gap: a decomposition analysis of proximal causes.
- Authors
Johnston, David W; Lee, Wang-Sheng
- Abstract
There exist remarkably large differences in body weights and obesity prevalence between black and white women in the United States; and crucially, these differences are a significant contributor to black-white inequalities in health. In this article, we investigate the most proximal explanations for the weight gap: namely, differences in diet and exercise. More specifically, we decompose black-white differences in body mass index and waist-to-height ratio into components reflecting black-white differences in energy intake and energy expenditure. The analysis indicates that overconsumption is much more important than a lack of exercise in explaining the weight gap, which suggests that diet interventions will have to play a fundamental role if the weight gap between black and white women is to decline.
- Publication
Demography, 2011, Vol 48, Issue 4, p1429
- ISSN
0070-3370
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1007/s13524-011-0064-x